Why choose the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Education
50% of your course time is spent in practice with our healthcare partners, building your skills and experience.
Local practice placements with healthcare providers in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes.
In the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2025, the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ ranks UK 29th overall; it ranks in the top 10 for skills development and in the top 15 for teaching and learning, assessment and feedback, and sense of community.
About the course
This two-year Master’s is for registered adult nurses wishing to become a midwife and will prepare you to fully care for women/birthing people throughout pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period. Your time on the course is split equally between practice and ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, giving you the opportunity to apply your theoretical knowledge in the clinical environment.Ìý Theoretical knowledge is developed through simulation and scenario-based learning as well as lectures, seminars and group work.
By taking this course, you may be eligible for NHS funding of at least £5,000. Find out more about the
Ìý
Course accreditation
All our Nursing and Midwifery courses are regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). On successful completion of your course, you can register with the NMC as an adult nurse.
Facilities and specialist equipment
- Access to the professional medical/health facilities and equipment at placement hospitals and community health settings
- Simulation wards with a range of medical-grade training mannequins to tackle real-life scenarios in a safe and supported environment
- New, fully immersive simulation floor in our modern STEM building, taking you from mock home to hospital, for hands-on experience of a range of scenarios
Industry links
Our healthcare courses have been developed in collaboration with local healthcare providers and health authorities.
Your student experience
Learn the complete role of the midwife as the expert in pregnancy and birth as well as caring for women/birthing people requiring additional care.
Explore the wider role of the midwife within primary- and secondary-care settings, including public health, sexual health and women’s/birthing people’s health promotion.
Your ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ studies combine lectures, seminars and group work with simulations and scenario-based learning.
On clinical placements, benefit from the support of a practice supervisor.
Learn from research-active academics who keep up to date with current practice through regular link-lecturer visits to our clinical placements alongside close links with practice.
Develop your knowledge and skills through visiting lecturers who are clinical specialists, providing you with the latest research and practice in their field.
Gain experience on non-maternity wards to learn how pregnancy affects - and is affected by - a variety of medical conditions including mental health, surgery, neonatal and intensive care.
As the course proceeds, become increasingly independent in your study skills and practice, able to provide universal care for women/birthing people in pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period with minimal direction.
By the time you graduate, you will have conducted at least 40 supervised births under the supervision of a qualified midwife mentor.
Universal care and human development – Understand human development from conception and birth to early-childhood development.
Public health and the accountable midwife – Explore how public health influences the health and wellbeing of women, birthing people and their families.
Midwifery care in practice – Undertake a supervised maternity placement where you provide care and support throughout the childbirth continuum.
Enhancing quality and safety in midwifery – Gain the skills to identify, analyse and interpret research evidence, to support women and birthing people in making informed care decisions.
Individualised and additional care – Develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to support individuals with additional needs and respond effectively in emergencies.
Developing the future midwife – Explore current research in midwifery and use it to build your leadership skills, inform decision-making and develop your practice.
Examination of the newborn – How to screen and assess newborn infants while meeting the needs of the new mother, family and relevant others.
Proficiency in midwifery care – Practise your skills in an approved maternity placement, demonstrating your proficiency across antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care.
Midwifery project – Focusing on an area of midwifery practice, develop an ethical research proposal in answer to a chosen research question
For an at-a-glance list of modules for this course, download the course specification.
The assessment strategy for this course is closely aligned to the teaching and learning strategy which centres around safe midwifery practice. The choice of assessments is determined by their relevance to midwifery care. You will be assessed across a range of practice settings and learning environments throughout the course.
To enhance your understanding and experiences of assessment practices you will encounter a wide range of formative and summative assessment methods including those that enable you to undertake practice-focused tasks that have the potential to influence care delivery. Many of the assessment tasks are designed so you can tailor them to your professional interests, experience and development needs. They are also designed so you can rehearse ways of thinking and acting that are professionally relevant. Examples include written assignments ranging from case studies and academic essays as well as assessed practice within your placements.
You will be assessed in practice using a nationally recognised practice assessment document (the MORA - Midwifery Ongoing Record of Achievement) which outlines the skills and competencies required as a registered midwife. These assessments are recorded and confirmed by a practice assessor alongside your own self-reflections on your progress. Service users and carers also contribute to your assessments. Self-assessment and reflection are expected at each point of assessment - for both theory and practice assessments. Within the MORA, learners are expected to obtain service-user feedback using the standardised feedback form supported by their practice supervisor, facilitating personal reflection during interim reviews and at the holistic assessment. To be eligible for your award of MSc Midwifery and to register with the NMC as a midwife, you must complete and provide documentary evidence of a minimum of 3,600 hours (1,800 hours in practice and 1,800 theory hours).
Careers
On completion of this course, you can go on to work as a qualified and registered midwife within the NHS or as an independent midwife. It also gives you the potential to progress into leadership positions and specialist roles in clinical settings or follow a career in management, research and teaching.
Entry Requirements
GCSE grade 4/Functional Skills Level 2 Maths
GCSE grade 4/Functional Skills Level 2 English.Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
Entry Requirements
GCSE grade 4/Functional Skills Level 2 Maths
GCSE grade 4/Functional Skills Level 2 English.Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
Fees for this course
UK
The fee for this MSc for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £18,500.
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email [email protected]
Scholarship Available
The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ is proud of its alumni and is delighted to offer a tuition fee discount for those who choose to continue or return to the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ for on campus Postgraduate level studies.
We offer a 20% discount on full and part-time Masters courses to those who were successful in completing an Honours Degree with the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, DMU’s Bedford campus or the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ of Luton.
International
The international fee for this MSc for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £33,800
For more information, please see international fees, or contact [email protected]
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email [email protected]
Fees for this course
UK
The fee for this MSc for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £18,500.
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email [email protected]
Scholarship Available
The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ is proud of its alumni and is delighted to offer a tuition fee discount for those who choose to continue or return to the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ for on campus Postgraduate level studies.
We offer a 20% discount on full and part-time Masters courses to those who were successful in completing an Honours Degree with the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, DMU’s Bedford campus or the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ of Luton.
International
The international fee for this MSc for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £33,800
For more information, please see international fees, or contact [email protected]
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email [email protected]
